Group selects professor for leader award

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Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law Adjunct Professor David Singleton has recently been awarded the McCrackin Emerging Leader Award.

Singleton received the award during a banquet Jan. 23 at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. The award was presented by Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati. It is awarded annually to an emerging leader who has made a significant difference in the community.

“David is a gifted, brilliant attorney,” said Jeniece Jones, an NKU graduate and executive director of Community Shares. “He is selfless in giving a gift of law to those who are least likely to afford it.”

As an executive of OJPC, Singleton has worked to make Cincinnati a better place by representing the impoverished, prisoners, sex offenders and others in the community who are often unable to obtain legal representation, according to ohiojpc.org.

Through the Chase Clinic of OJPC, Singleton supervises Chase Law students as they litigate cases. One recent case, won by third-year Chase Law students Margie Slagle and Tom Ewing, granted an Ohio prisoner the treatment he needed for Hepatitis C.

Jones said Singleton had the opportunity to do many different things with his career. “He could have focused on private practice, but he made a decision. He chose to give his gift to others,” Jones said.

Building social and economic equity, being a positive role model and being generous with skills on behalf of others are all characteristics that Community Shares expects to see in a nominee for the Emerging Leader Award, according to Cintishares Web site.

“We received a lot of worthy nominations, but David’s overwhelming effort made him stand out,” Jones said.

Singleton, even when presented with the award, still wanted to recognize others, rather than keeping the spotlight on himself.

“It’s hard for me to think about this award as an individual accomplishment,” Singleton said. “None of us ever accomplishes anything in this world without the assistance of others. My staff deserves credit for its very hard work on behalf of despised and marginalized people.”

Singleton, like others leaders, made a choice to do what he could to help others.

“I resolved to do all that I can to make a difference in the lives of people who, by happenstance, did not have the good fortune to have the breaks that I had,” Singleton said.

“David was humbled and spoke from his heart,” Jones said. “He is honored to serve his clients.”